


Haunted

by RainySpringMorning



Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Paranoia, Post-Thieves Guild Quests
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-17
Updated: 2015-01-17
Packaged: 2018-03-07 21:32:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3183893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RainySpringMorning/pseuds/RainySpringMorning
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post-Thieves Guild Arc.</p><p>The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim belongs to Bethesda Game Studios! All original characters and content is mine.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Haunted

You and Karliah enter Riften, pockets brimming with gold and jewels straight from the pockets and chests of oblivious peoples’ homes across the hold. Riften is quiet today; the guards are pacing amicably and the citizens are flapping out blankets or busy browsing the market for the makings of tonight’s dinner. You swipe a coin purse someone left out at the edge of a stall. Karliah brushes by Nivenor with a soft “Pardon me,” a strand of gleaming gems on a chain tangled between her elven fingers as she pockets it.

“Thief!” someone suddenly shouts. Your eyes dart about as you attempt to remain your cool. Karliah is at your side, gliding after you like an innocent shopper. Arrows fly and citizens scream, ducking out of the way of the guards. Balimund – the local smithy – and Mjoll the Lioness join the pursuit. You see a flash of leather, a trace of gray. You hear an all-too-familiar grunt and glimpse…

Your blood freezes. Karliah bumps into you from behind. Your eyes are locked on the figure in leathers making a run for it over the bridge near Mistveil Keep. A single arrow shoots through the air and pierces his back. He falls with a harsh cry.

You wait until the crowd disperses. Your heart is hammering in your chest. Your mouth goes dry. Karliah is watching you with questioning eyes but you’re blind to all, desperate to see the man’s face. You have to be sure. You crouch beside him and grasp his chin, turning his face toward you…

A scraggly beard, traced with gray. Unseeing dark eyes. The face is wrong. It’s not him. You don’t know what to feel: Fear, remorse, relief, pity? You look over your shoulder and see Karliah standing a few paces away, her expression clouded. She is tense, frozen in place.

“He’s dead,” she tells you matter-of-factly, as though one of your buttons have come undone – something simple like that. She knows; she can see it written across your face. The thrill of the moment, the days come and gone, rushing past in the blink of an eye. You nod silently and stand, taking a slow breath. You’ve got this – it’s alright. Carry on, as normal. The guild is waiting for its guild master.

The unseeing eyes of the thief bore into your back as you and Karliah disappear. She leads the way through the secret entrance but you hesitate, your head turning, feeling eyes watching you from afar. It’s a chilling feeling. You swallow and climb down the steps, greet your fellow thieves with smiles and laughs. A sick bitterness swims in the pit of your stomach. Karliah can see the forced curve of your grin.

You can’t help it though. It’s not your fault that you feel as though you’re being haunted by one with the shadows, your every step being pursued by a silent hunter, the illusion of a hand reaching not for your coin purse, but for your _throat_.


End file.
